The Bulletin compiles news from in and around the US South. We hope these posts will provide space for lively discussion and debate regarding issues of importance to those living in and intellectually engaging with the US South.

October 1 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the integration of the University of Mississippi. A number of media outlets reflected upon how James Meredith enrolled at the university amid violent riots in 1962. National Public Radio marked the anniversary on its Morning Edition, Tell Me More, andAll Things Consideredprograms by interviewing historians of the integration of the University of Mississippi, James Meredith and his relatives, and students currently enrolled at the university. Kitty Dumas, an African American alumna of the university, offered her own reflection on the university's history in The New York Times. Amanda Lewis, Associate Professor of Sociology at Emory University, and John Diamond, Associate Professor of Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education, marked the anniversary by questioning the notion that public schools in the United States are really desegregated, asking "Is this the desegregation Meredith fought for?"

In Florida, confusion over the voting eligibility of thousands of ex-felons has a number of interest groups involved in a campaign to clarify the voter rolls across the state. In Tampa, ex-felons who had their voting rights reinstated by the state government recently received notice from their counties to the contrary. Voting eligibility of ex-felons in this swing state is especially important because laws restricting rights of felons affect nearly a quarter of all African-Americans of voting age in Florida.

Georgia Power (a unit of Southern Company, the second largest power company in the United States) announced on September 27 that it was seeking permission to purchase up to 210 megawatts of solar power by 2017. The proposed "Advanced Solar Initiative" would represent the largest voluntary purchase of solar energy by an investor-owned utility in the country.

On September 27, the Arkansas Supreme Court handed down a ruling which will make the state the first in the South to propose the legalization of medical marijuana via ballot initiative.